ARLINGTON, Texas – Oregon State had the tying run on third base but No. 2 Arkansas managed to get a pair of strikeouts to end the seventh-ranked Beavers’ comeback bid in a 5-4 loss Friday night in front of 13,038 fans at Globe Life Field.
Trent Caraway singled to open the ninth, moved to second on a Dallas Macias bunt and then to third on a wild pitch. But Arkansas’ Jake Flaherty struck outTanner Smith and Levi Jones to end the game.
The strikeouts ended a back-and-forth battle between two top-10 teams. Arkansas scored three times in the fifth and once more in the sixth to take a 4-0 lead. But Oregon State battled back, plating two in the seventh on a Macias double and sac fly by Smith.
OSU tied the game in the eighth when Travis Bazzana singled, and scored on a two-run home run by Mason Guerra. But the Razorbacks (4-1) took the lead again in the bottom half of the inning when Peyton Holt tripled to center.
Arkansas’ Hagen Smith and OSU’s Aiden May dueled early on. Smith struck out 17 batters in six innings, and scattered three hits with a walk. May, meanwhile, allowed three hits and three runs with six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
Neither figured in the decision. The win went to Arkansas reliever Gage Wood, who allowed Guerra’s home run in the eighth. AJ Hutcheson, who allowed a run in the eighth, took the loss, dropping to 0-1.
Next Up
Oregon State continues play in Arlington on Saturday when taking on Michigan at Globe Life Field. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. PT (3 p.m. in Texas). Catch the game live on the Beaver Sports Network and Varsity Network app while watching live on Flo Baseball.
Oregon State Notes
– The teams met for the seventh time and first since the 2018 College World Series National Championship round.
– Micah McDowell extended his hit streak to six games with a bunt single in the first inning.
– Trent Caraway batted in the six spot of the lineup for the first time. He had been ninth in the first five games of the season. He extended his hit streak to six games with a fourth-inning single.
– Brady Kasper pushed his hit streak to 11 games dating back to last season. He, McDowell and Caraway have all hit safely in all six games this season.
– Travis Bazzana stole his third base of the season in the eighth and now has 53 for his career.
– Oregon State’s 23 strikeouts set the program’s single-game record, surpassing 20 against Nevada in 2019.
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OUR MISSION
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